How to Track Packages with Google Package Tracker

Need to know if your gift is going to make it to Grandma this holiday season? Well, you can easily do this with Google's Package Tracker feature. You can either do this from your Google Account or download a desktop application.

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What is Google Package Tracker?

It’s the holiday season. Want to know where your packages to family members or friends are, or whether or not that pie from Grandma will reach you by Christmas? Need an easy tracking solution? Google Package Tracker makes it easier than ever.

Just think, as opposed to having to go to each and every website of UPS, FedEX, the Postal Service, DHL or other shipping companies, you can simply input the tracking number of the package. From here, Google’s Package Tracker will determine from which company the package was sent and get you the latest updates on the location of your package.

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How to use the Feature

Since this is powered by Google Maps, you will get an approximate location of your package. Since tracking data is often not precise, you probably won’t get the exact location of your package. You will, however, get an approximate location.

Tracking data is updated every 15 minutes. So, when you track your package, the information will be updated based on where your package was during the most recent 15 minutes. If you try to refresh your information before the 15 minutes is up, the information will not be refreshed, and you will obtain the older information.

While you can do this directly from the website (http://www.google.com/help/features.html), but you can also download the Google Desktop Package Tracker Tool. You will need to have Google Desktop installed on your C:// drive in order to run the Package Tracker Tool.

You’re going to need to do the same thing with the online tracking tool. You input your tracking number and get the location of your package. You can click on the tracking number to get the updates on your package. Once the package is delivered, you will not be able to get updates on your package.

For the Google Desktop Package Tracker Tool, the mapping/geocoding information is powered by Yahoo. You can do up to 5,000 requests a day. Once you reach this limit, you will no longer be able to map your packages anymore.

One issue with tracking packages with the Yahoo mapping feature is that non-US cities may not show up on Google Maps. If this is the case, you will receive an error message when you input your tracking number.